Lost in Greed
by 2000Aerobars
Summary: "I can't give up like before, there's gotta be something." Knuckles has been cursed and his own body is turning against him. Without the Fireflower, Knuckles won't last. Aeronniell and the others are now desperate, but finally stumble on a solution... The Fireflower. But even if they do find the Fireflower, will it save Knuckles in time? Sequel to Lost in the Flames.
1. Chapter 1 - Disaster Strikes

**Lost in Greed**

**Chapter 1 - Disaster Strikes**

**Hi Guys! This is the Sequel to Lost in the Flames. I've got a good feeling about this one so nice comments please. Especially today as it's my birthday XD**

**A huge thank you to Shinyshiny 9 who edited my work and made it a lot more enjoyable :)**

**Anyway, this one is about 15 - 20 chapters long and will probably hit you right in the feels. It may be a little upsetting at times for some, so just be warned :)**

**A huge thank you to everyone that reviewed Lost in the Flames and everyone who favourited, followed or just simply read it XD**

**One last thing that is REALLY important. You can read this story without reading Lost in the Flames but you will have a few little gaps that need filing. Speaking of filling gaps, Lost in the Flames is being edited and I'll keep you posted on that :)**

Knuckles thought that a floating island wouldn't surprise him, especially as he lived on one. But boy, was he wrong. Gem Island was tiny compared to Angel Island but it seemed sad, lost and forgotten. "I guess that's why it's called the Ruins of Oblivion," Knuckles thought out loud, as he glided towards the island.

The only thing that was on Island was a temple. The temple seemed like something from Ancient Greece, or... What was left of it did anyway. The stone ceiling had somehow survived the temple's old age but most of the stone columns were crumbling away.  
"It's freezing up here," Knuckles muttered, rubbing his arms to warm up a little. It was midsummer, yet on the island it was cold enough for snow. Knuckles carefully walked up a few stone steps and came to the entrance.

"There it is!" Knuckles breathed, as he ran towards the center of the temple to collect his prize. Knuckles had sworn to protect the Master Emerald with his life, so he didn't get much time to himself. He was lucky that he had been able to leave Angel Island for the day and go treasure hunting.

Suddenly, Knuckles tripped over some debris and fell onto the stone floor. "Well, I'm glad nobody saw that," he smirked, as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Oh great, I'd just got these gloves too," Knuckles moaned when he saw the large rip in his right glove.

Knuckles continued to walk towards the gem, but stopped to stare at it. The gem was blood red and hovered in midair. The cold and wind seemed to wrap around it, which sent a chill down Knuckles's spine. Knuckles translated the ancient words that were etched onto the small stone column beneath it. "_This is the Gem of Greed_," Knuckles froze. "Wait a second, I was looking for the Gem of duty!" he exclaimed.

"_If you attempt to take the Gem of Greed, you will be forever cursed, and will perish into an endless darkness_," he continued. Knuckles wasn't easily scared but he quickly made up his mind. "You know, maybe I'll just leave it where it is," he muttered, as he turned to walk away.

"Hello, Knuckles," a voice said. Knuckles nearly jumped out of his skin.  
"What do you want, Rouge?" Knuckles said defensively as he turned.  
"Isn't it a little obvious," she said sarcastically, pointing to the red crystal.

"You can't take it, neither of us can," Knuckles warned.  
Rouge suddenly flew into the air, "Oh, come on Knuckles, It's my birthday?" she sighed. "Besides, haven't you heard that diamonds are a girls best friend?"

"Your birthday has come and gone and this isn't a diamond, it's the Gem of Greed," Knuckles said bluntly.  
"Well, at least you remember when my birthday is," Rouge muttered. Suddenly, Rouge groaned in pain, before dropping from the air, onto her knees and clutching her head.

Knuckles watched as Rouge began to stretch her neck out, like something was bothering her or trying to get into her mind. "Rouge...You ok?" Knuckles asked cautiously.  
"That gem is mine!" she suddenly snarled, diving towards the gem.

The gem suddenly began to glow black, and radiated a dark power as Rouge flew towards it.  
"NO!" Knuckles yelped, diving forwards and pushing the crystal away from Rouge.  
Knuckles landed on the floor and clutched his right hand in pain. The gem rolled around the floor in a circle before stopping.

Rouge stopped and realised what he had done. "Knuckles, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed. Knuckles made no attempt to reply or even get up. Rouge crouched down beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked. Knuckles managed to get on his hands and knees but Rouge noticed that he shook under the weight of his own body.

"The gem.. It was cursed," he managed, before dropping back down to ground.  
"Knuckles!" Rouge exclaimed. "Come on, we need to get you some help."  
Knuckles could tell that she was worried and trying to keep calm but she was definitely panicking a little.

Rouge dragged Knuckles to his feet and put her arms around him to keep him steady. Despite the weather, Knuckles was really warm and he seemed really off balance.  
"Head for the forest," Knuckles croaked.  
"But you need-," Rouge protested.  
"Just trust me.. Head towards the Autumn Tree."

A cold laugh suddenly filled the air, "And yet another soul has let greed get the better of them."  
"Who's there? Show yourself !" Rouge demanded, looking around for a body to match the voice but no-one was there.  
"I am Oblivion, the state of forgetfulness. My curse reminds people what greed and selfishness can do to them," the dark voice replied. Rouge's excellent hearing enabled her to hear a little click. It was someone clicking their fingers

The roof suddenly began to shake, covering Rouge and Knuckles in dust. "We've gotta get out of here," Rouge muttered. The roof began to crumble and large bits of rock bounced off the floor. Rouge grabbed Knuckles and flew towards one of the gaps in the columns. The rubble almost hit Rouge but she somehow managed to throw herself to the side. The gaps between the columns were rapidly filling up.

"Fly up," Knuckles murmured. Rouge only just heard him over the sound of the rocks smashing against the floor but looked up and noticed a few small gaps in the ceiling. She quickly flew up towards it. The dust stung her eyes, almost blinding her as she flew. Just before she hit the roof, Knuckles broke through the ceiling with a mighty punch. Rouge flew out of the temple, leaving the Gem of Greed underneath the rubble..

Black storm clouds began to gather above the floating Island. Then lighting whipped the sky and it also began to rain. Rouge could hardly see anything as the rain pelted off her face. "Knuckles, you seriously need go to Weight Watchers," she muttered, as she looked for the Autumn tree. The one tree that was always in it's autumn, whatever the season. As soon as she spotted it she began to fly towards it.

Suddenly, a large bit of ceiling rolled off the edge of Gem Island. It began to plummet towards Rouge and Knuckles. It hit Rouge in the back and she began to spiral out of control. Knuckles quickly pushed himself away from Rouge and punched the boulder with the last of his dwindling strength. The boulder crumbled to dust and Knuckles fell unconscious. "Knuckles!" Rouge exclaimed, reaching out to grab him but she was too late.

Rouge looked down and realised that the ground was racing towards her. Rouge desperately tried to spread out her wings, but it was too painful. It seemed she had broken her wings and was unable to fly. She suddenly hit the top of the Autumn tree and bounced from branch to branch until she hit the cold, wet ground. She was quickly slipping into unconsciousness.

As Rouge struggled to stay awake, she suddenly noticed several silhouettes approaching her. One of the silhouettes crouched down beside Rouge and checked for her pulse "Knuckles," she murmured, before falling unconscious..

**Alright, that's chapter 1. Let me know what you think of it because I was disappointed in how many I got for Lost in the Flames. I had to ask my friend to review so I knew how I did, so PLEASE REVIEW XD**

**One last thing that I couldn't fit in summary. The Fireflower has NOTHING to do with Mario and is my own creation. I was not aware that such a thing existed in Mario. (Can you tell how much I like him? XD *Veeerrryy little*)**

**See you all soon ;D**


	2. Chapter 2 - Cursed

**Chapter 2 - Cursed**

**Hi guys and girls!**

**I know, I take forever to update. I apologise but hopefully the chapter will make up for it XD**

**Enjoy XD**

When Rouge finally came round, her wings were in agony but she somehow managed to keep quiet, mainly due to the fact she was barely awake.  
"Where.. Where am I?" she murmured.

Rouge looked at her surroundings. The walls had been painted cream and the floor was plain wooden laminate. In front of Rouge was a large fireplace, which had several logs burning away underneath. The cracking and popping of the fire gave Rouge something to concentrate on.

Rouge was lying on her stomach on the sofa, which dulled the pain in her back. Just then Rouge saw another sofa with Knuckles asleep on it.  
"Knuckles!" she exclaimed, suddenly rolling over and almost falling off the sofa.  
"Easy Rouge. Don't worry about Knuckles, he'll be fine," a female voice said, catching Rouge before she fell and pushing her back onto the sofa.

"Who are you? And how do you know me?" Rouge asked harshly.  
"My name is Aeronniell and I know some of your friends, including Knuckles. Now try to keep still," Aeronniell said gently, as she took a warm, damp cloth and began to clean up the cuts on her wings and back. Rouge flinched as the hot water stung the cuts.

"So you're the mystery friend Knuckles keeps talking about. How long have I been out for?" Rouge asked.  
"We found you a few hours ago. You said Knuckles's name and it's a good thing too. Had you not said that, we wouldn't have found him."  
"Where am I? " Rouge asked.  
"My house in The Forest of the Elementi," Aeronniell explained.

Rouge nodded and watched in amazement as Aeronniell dipped her hands in a bowl of water and they began to glow blue. Aeronniell then reached out to touch Rouge's wings but Rouge batted her hands away.  
"Oh, no you don't. I've had enough hocus pocus for one day," Rouge exclaimed.

"Rouge, I'm trying to heal your broken wing. It's painless," Aeronniell explained calmly. (Apparently this sort of thing happened to Aeronniell a lot)  
"Fine, but if it hurts, you're in big trouble," Rouge warned.  
Aeronniell shook her head with a smile and gently touched Rouge's wings. They slowly healed and knitted themselves back together and as promised, it didn't hurt too badly.  
"As creepy as that was, thank you," Rouge said afterwards.

"You're welcome... What happened to you two, anyway?" Aeronniell asked curiously.

Rouge tried to relax and thought about what had happened.

"Knuckles was looking for his next big treasure. Oh, what was it called again? The Gem of Duty, yes, that was it. Anyway, I decided to follow him, but when he found the gem, Knuckles said that neither of us could take it," Rouge explained before pausing.

"I began to feel really, really weird, like something was trying to control me or influence my thoughts, I felt selfish and greedy. I couldn't control it and I tried to take the Gem. Knuckles knocked it out of the way and- Wait a second, Knuckles said that the Gem's cursed! I have to help him."

Rouge tried to get up but Aeronniell stopped her. "Rouge, take it easy. I'll ask my friend to take him up to the Ancient Ones, they'll know what to do," Aeronniell explained calmly. Rouge felt dizzy from her sudden movement and slumped back down. She slowly began to drift back into unconsciousness.

"Rouge, what cursed Knuckles? You need to tell me," Aeronniell exclaimed, shaking her shoulder to try to keep her awake. Rouge muttered something before she fell asleep but Aeronniell didn't hear.  
"Dang," Aeronniell muttered. Aeronniell quickly headed next-door and thumped on the door.

A red and black Komodo Dragon opened the door in surprise. "Geez, Aeronniell. Try to keep the door on its hinges," he smirked. Then he noticed a worried look on Aeronniell's face. "Is something wrong?" he asked.  
"Karn, I really need your help. Could you get Stephenson and Conrad for me? I need to get Knuckles up to the Ancient Ones to ask for their help. I also need a few messages sent to Sonic and his friends, as quickly as possible," Aeronniell rushed.  
Karn nodded. "Alright, I'll look for them now," he said calmly.

"Thank you," Aeronniell smiled.

Aeronniell headed back to her own house and went into the sitting room, where Rouge and Knuckles were resting. Knuckles looked uneasy, he was groaning and wincing in pain and looked quite pale. Beads of sweat covered his brow and his breathing was rapid but laboured.

Aeronniell crouched down beside him and wiped his forehead with a cold cloth in an attempt to break the fever."It'll be alright Knuckles.. I promise,"...

* * *

Sonic was enjoying a normal day at the beach with Tails. So far, they'd had a pretty good day. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Sonic, are you coming in the water for a bit? It's nice and cool," Tails asked, as he splashed in the sea.

"No thanks Tails, maybe later," Sonic said awkwardly. He was sunbathing on the top of a sand dune to steer clear of the water, since didn't like it at all.  
"What about an Ice cream?" Tails asked. Sonic smirked.  
"You're on!" he exclaimed, standing up and sliding down the sand dune, towards Tails.

Sonic waited for Tails on the shore. A little wave touched Sonic's shoe and left a black gem by his foot. Sonic picked it up and stared at it. Tails waded out of the water and came to see what Sonic had found. "Isn't that the black Fire Opal?" Tails asked, picking up a towel and drying himself off. Sonic nodded.

"How did this get here? I thought Aeronniell gave it to Knuckles, the week after we stopped Eggman and Karn," Sonic said. Tails noticed the doubt and concern in Sonic's voice.  
"Maybe Knuckles dropped it," Tails suggested. Sonic wasn't so sure.

Just then, it began to get incredibly windy "Sonic, What's going on?" Tails yelled above the deafening noise of the wind.

"Get down!" Sonic exclaimed, as he threw himself into the sand. Tails did the same. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, until it became a mini- tornado. Sonic automatically put his arm over Tails to stop him from blowing away. "Hang on!" Sonic called, clutching onto a rock that was sticking out of the sand.

The wind suddenly stopped, leaving a bright orange hedgehog standing on the shore. He wore distressed blue jeans and a red vest top. Sonic and Tails looked up, Sonic spat out a mouthful of sand. "Conrad?" Tails exclaimed.

"Hey guys, sorry about my um.. Entrance," he smirked.  
"It's ok, I like to eat sand," Sonic said sarcastically.  
"Oh, good," Conrad smirked. "I've got a message for you from Aeronniell. She said it was urgent," he explained, passing Sonic a note. Sonic and Tails sat up and silently read the message:

_Dear Sonic and Tails,_

_I hate to say it, but the worst has come to pass. I would write what has happened but it would take up too much time, besides, we don't really know what is going on. _

_I need you to meet me at the Autumn tree in about five minutes. I've sent a message to Shadow too, you all need to see this. But just be prepared... It's Knuckles._

_Aeronniell Bluewaters._

"If Aeronniell thinks it's urgent, we should go. Knuckles could be hurt," Tails said moments later.  
"Knuckles did go treasure hunting a few days ago," Sonic remarked. Jumping to his feet and helping Tails get up.

"I have to go and give this to Shadow. See ya," Conrad smirked.

"HOLD IT! Wait until we're outta here first. I don't want to eat anymore sand," Sonic exclaimed. Sonic grabbed Tails's arm and sped off, the note fluttered to the ground next to Conrad foot.

Conrad let his curiosity get the better of him and he read the letter. "Something is very wrong, very wrong indeed," he muttered, before disappearing in another little tornado...

**Dun dun dun! XD chapter updates are gonna be slow but I'll be as quick as possible.**

**5 reviews? Come on guys, how am I gonna know if you like it, if you don't review? XD**

**Have a great day and don't forget to review ;D**


	3. Chapter 3 - Always Hope

**Chapter 3 - Always Hope**

**I know, I know I take forever to update, but I'm back at school now and I have to put start putting my head down so it's going to take a little longer. So I apologize in advance. Anyway, here it is...**

**(Just in case you haven't read my prequel, Aeronniell is pronounced Eye- Ron- Knee- El)**

"Well, I didn't expect to have to see you guys so soon," Aeronniell smiled weakly.  
"What's going on, Aeronniell?" Tails asked.  
"And why did you send Conrad to come and get us?" Shadow asked in his usual serious, uninterested tone, but drops of curiosity still managed to seep into his voice.  
"I know this is all confusing but.. It's best to just show you," Aeronniell said, gesturing for Sonic and the others to come in.

Sonic and Tails hurried inside, but Shadow hesitated. He had just been led to the Forest of the Elementi by Conrad, an air Elemental who claimed to be a messenger of Aeronniell's brother, Karn (The current Ruler of the village). Shadow still didn't know why he had been brought here, but he knew it wasn't good.

Shadow looked around. Wooden huts and marble temples were shaped around huge oak trees. It was obvious that the villagers didn't like to cut down any trees. Other Elementals were talking at the market stalls, and the children were laughing and dancing to the music of the band. The entire village was peaceful and happy. The village was situated on a hill. On the very top of the hill was an enormous temple. Shadow knew that the temple was for the eight Ancient Ones, the eight people that protected and preserved the natural world.

"It's pretty cool, huh," Aeronniell smiled, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded. Shadow jumped, but smiled and nodded. "Come on, you need to see this. But just.. be ready," she said sadly. Shadow quietly followed Aeronniell inside her house..

Shadow expected Aeronniell to live in an igloo or something, due to her being a water Elemental, but it was just like a normal house. It was warm and airy. The furniture looked old, like it had been passed down from generation to generation. There was plenty of pictures hung on the wall: Pictures of Aeronniell's Elemental friends, The Ancient Ones, a birthday party, there were even pictures of Shadow with the others!

But the one that caught his eye, was a plain picture with three people on it: Karn, Aeronniell and another hedgehog She looked quite young but very pretty. Her fur was like Aeronniell's, only more lilac. She looked so happy, but there were water stains on the glass that protected the photos. Were those... tears?

He turned away and noticed that Sonic and Tails were crouching next to the sofa. Sonic looked up at Shadow, he looked worried. He looked very worried.  
Shadow quickly walked over to the sofa and saw Rouge lying on it. "Rouge," Shadow exclaimed.  
"It gets worse. Knuckles is at the Main Temple. The Ancient Ones are trying to save him from a curse but it's proving too strong for them," Aeronniell explained.  
"Too strong for the eight Ancient Ones! That's gotta some strong curse," Sonic remarked.

"What happened to them? Who did this?" Shadow demanded, angrily, clenching his fists.  
"Shadow calm down. To tell the truth we don't know what's happened," Aeronniell said, gently.

Rouge began to stir. She suddenly sat bolt upright. "Knuckles!" she exclaimed.  
"Easy Rouge, you're ok," Shadow said quietly. He knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to get her to lie back down but she wouldn't budge. Sonic and Tails quietly moved aside.

"Where's Knuckles? Is he alright? That gem, it cursed him! Oh, This is all my fault," she rushed, before breaking down into tears.

Shadow sat on the edge of the sofa and comforted Rouge as she calmed down "It's alright," Shadow muttered. Aeronniell gave everyone a lemonade but she gave Rouge an herbal tea, to help calm her nerves and help heal her wounds.  
"Here," Aeronniell offered gently. Rouge reached out to take it but her hands were trembling so badly that Shadow had to keep hold of the cup for her so she didn't spill it.

"Rouge, who or what cursed Knuckles?" Shadow asked after a few minutes of miserable silence.  
"I.. It was Oblivion... Knuckles was cursed by Oblivion," Rouge managed.  
"What cursed him?" Aeronniell persisted gently.

"The Gem of Greed." "But I think Knuckles said that he was looking for the Gem of Duty," Rouge added quickly, as if protecting Knuckles.  
Aeronniell sighed.  
"I know he was," she smiled gently. She seemed to zone out for a second, as if thinking of earlier memories, before getting thrown back into reality. Aeronniell headed towards the door. "Guys, I need to tell the Ancient Ones what happened, I shouldn't be long," Aeronniell explained, before quickly leaving.

"This is all my fault," Rouge muttered.  
"No it's not," Shadow protested. "Rouge, you didn't even know that the Gem was cursed."  
Rouge sighed. "But I still tried to take it," she muttered, staring into the log fire as she dozed off.

* * *

**(A few minutes later...)**

When Aeronniell arrived at the temple, she was panting. She had sprinted all the way up to the top and rushed into the little room where Knuckles was resting. The Ancient Ones turned to look at who had just entered.

"The Gem of Greed," she announced. "Knuckles has been cursed by Oblivion with the Gem of Greed."

"Aeronniell, are you sure?" a blue otter asked.  
"I'm certain, Aqua," Aeronniell said.  
"And yet another has fallen for his cruel trap... But why did your friend go in search of the Gem of Greed?" Smoulder the phoenix asked.  
"Knuckles went in search for the Gem of Duty, but he was tricked and found the Gem of Greed," Aeronniell explained.

"Then, there is nothing we can do," said Rubble the mole gravely. Aeronniell's legs began to tremble.  
"No.. No! There has to be a way... An old legend, a myth, something.. Anything!" Aeronniell exclaimed, as tears began to stream down her face.

"Aeronniell, you have seen this curse so many times. Deep down, you know that there's nothing that can be done," Argon the falcon said in a gentle but loud murmur, like a gentle summer breeze kissing your skin.  
"I know, but I won't give in," she sobbed.

Aeronniell tried to pull herself together and turned away. Aeronniell stared at the walls and floors that were coloured with firery reds and calming blues and greens. Aeronniell put on a brave face and turned around again, as she remembered that turning away was a sign of disrespect. Knuckles was lying on a small bed, his breathing was deep but rushed. Torches lit the small room and seemed to be drawn to Smoulder the Phoenix, the Ancient One who controlled fire.

Aeronniell weakly walked over to Knuckles and dropped to knees beside him. She gently stroked his cheek. Knuckles began to stir. "Aero..," he murmured.

"Easy Knuckles, It's just me," she soothed.  
"If the worst- .. If I," Knuckles managed weakly.  
"It won't," Aeronniell smiled gently.

"But if it does.. Do you think you could.. Keep an eye... on the Master Emerald.. for me?" Knuckles croaked.  
Aeronniell gently nodded.  
"I will guard it with my life, but you're going to be alright," she said strongly. Knuckles smiled and fell unconscious again. He was beaded with sweat but his breathing was slowing down, it was now a bit more normal yet raspy.

Aqua walked over to her and put her hand on Aeronniell's shoulder. "I can't give up like before, there's just got to be something," Aeronniell choked. Aqua quietly led Aeronniell outside and they headed towards the stables...

* * *

Thunder was standing peacefully in his stall and nickered softly when he saw Aeronniell. "Hey boy," she said weakly, as she scratched his chin. Aqua sat beside Aeronniell on a bale of hay.

"I shouldn't really do this, because I'm probably sending you to your death, but there might be a way to save your friend," Aqua said quietly. Aeronniell nodded, as if considering a good deal.

"Then there's just one thing.. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS THREE YEARS AGO, WHEN LILLY GOT CURSED!?" Aeronniell demanded, before standing up and turning away.  
Thunder ears fell backwards and he moved closer to Aeronniell, sensing her anger and distress. Aeronniell walked over and gently stroked his head.

"Aeronniell, we didn't know at the time.. I swear, if I had known I would have said," Aqua said gently.  
"When did you find out about the cure?" Aeronniell muttered, after an awkward silence. Aqua looked down and suddenly found an interest in her hands.  
"The week after Lilly died. We decided not to say anything about it because it would have only made you feel worse," Aqua explained quickly.

Aeronniell shook her head and put her knuckle in her mouth, nervously biting it. "She was only seven, SEVEN YEARS OLD AND I HAD TO WATCH HER CRUMBLE INTO NOTHING!" Aeronniell thundered. "I won't let Knuckles suffer the same fate," she added, softening her tone of voice from solid steel to sandstone. Aeronniell sat on the hay, beside Aqua, and put her head in her hands and began to weep.

"You love him, don't you?" Aqua asked gently.  
Aeronniell sighed and nodded. "Is it that obvious?... Yes but I won't tell him."  
The tension gently began to lift but there was still an uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Why not?"  
"Because Rouge loves him, and I won't interfere. Besides, he has a duty, I'd just be a distraction," Aeronniell explained bluntly, turning to face Aqua and drying her tears.  
Aeronniell could tell that Aqua didn't really believe it and wanted to press for information but instead she nodded, as if to end the conversation.

"The Fireflower can cure everything from mental illnesses to curses. I don't know where it is but it's what you need to look for," Aqua said quietly. Aeronniell nodded, she was so glad that there was a cure, but she was still so angry._ Aqua did not see how much Lilly suffered... She will never understand how desperate I really am,_ Aeronniell thought to herself.

"Thank you," Aeronniell muttered, as she stood to walk away.  
"Aeronniell.. I'm so sorry for what happened to Lilly," Aqua said softly, standing up.

"Weren't we all," Aeronniell muttered, before leaving...

**Ok, so this is kind of a really important chapter. I expect some of you will be trying to forget that this story exists because of the pairing that MAY happen (I'm not saying anything). Just note that even if the pairing was to go ahead, it wouldn't be anything rude. I don't write stories like that.**

**Anyway R+R please because I need to know what you guys think.**

**Bye XD**


	4. Chapter 4 - Rising Storm

**Chapter 4 - Rising Storm**

"I don't get it Aeronniell. How do you know so much about Oblivion and the Gem of Greed?" Sonic asked.

"Oblivion is our sworn enemy. He attacks our forest when we are weak or running low on supplies. Some people say he hates the Ancient Ones because he was exiled. Others claim he was Abyss's son but he isn't," Aeronniell explained.  
"Oh... Who's Abyss again?" Sonic asked.  
Aeronniell sighed. "I'm gonna have to teach you their names... Abyss is the Ancient One who controls darkness."

Aeronniell, Sonic and Tails were on their way towards the Main Temple to collect Knuckles. The weather was beginning to turn bad again and it began to drizzle with rain. Suddenly, a blinding flash of fork lightning illuminated the ground, followed by thunder rolling over the sky.

Tails dived onto Sonic's shoulders. "AAAHHH! IM AFRAID OF LIGHTNING!" he exclaimed.  
"You're ok buddy," Sonic reassured him, as he tried to prise Tails off his back. Sonic looked to a very startled Aeronniell for help. Aeronniell smiled, lifted Tails off Sonic's shoulders and put him back on the ground.

"Don't worry, Tails," Aeronniell smiled. "Blizzard! Could you call off the thunder and lighting, please?" she called.

A grey hedgehog ran over to Aeronniell. "I'm sorry Aero, I can't control it. Misty is making the storm," Blizzard explained. Aeronniell nodded and smiled.  
"Oh, don't worry about it then. To be honest I can't blame her for being like this," she said, looking up at the sky for a moment. Blizzard nodded and hurried off to get shelter.

"Who's Misty?" Sonic asked.  
"The Ancient One who controls the weather. Judging by the weather, she's frustrated," Aeronniell explained.  
"I wouldn't like to see her when she's angry," Sonic muttered.  
"No, you wouldn't. That's when you get tornadoes and floods," Aeronniell said.

Just then, Blizzard appeared with an umbrella and passed it to Aeronniell before running off. "Thanks, Blizzard!" Aeronniell called. " So... what are we going to do after we take Knuckles back to your house?" Sonic asked.  
"Well, I think we should go to Station Square Library," Aeronniell said. "Hopefully, we'll find something there," she added.

A few minutes later, Sonic and the others had reached the Temple of the Ancient Ones. "Wait here, I'll get Knuckles," Aeronniell instructed. Sonic opened his mouth to protest but Aeronniell stopped him.

"The Ancient Ones aren't too keen on people who can't control the elements. They only offered to save Knuckles because he needed help and because Aqua, the Ancient One who controls water, managed to persuade the other seven. Let's not take advantage of that," Aeronniell explained.

"Fair point, but why do they not like 'Non-Elementals'?" Sonic asked.  
"Something to do with an attack many years ago, I'm not entirely sure. So please wait here, I'll be as quick as I can," Aeronniell explained, before quietly walking inside..

The temple was like something from Ancient Greece, thirty-six marble pillars supported an enormous roof, for safety reasons the roof was made of wood, but it was covered in a layer of marble. The temple had a small stair case that led down to a sort of basement.

Aeronniell went down the stairs and stood in front of the wooden door, that led to where Knuckles was resting. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, the little thuds echoing around the room, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Come on in, Aeronniell," a loud and deep voice said, which Aeronniell recognised as Abyss the wolf, the Ancient One who controlled the shadows and darkness. She quietly entered.

Inside, the walls were made of normal sandstone. An enormous battle scene had been carved into the walls but Aeronniell's attention went straight to Knuckles. Knuckles was lying on a huge slab of rock with Ancient inscriptions and little diagrams carved into it. His breathing was even quicker and his breaths were laboured but what worried Aeronniell was his fever, even from the doorway she could tell he was burning up.

The burning torches that were fixed to walls lit the little room, but the flames seemed to be drawn to Smoulder the Phoenix, the Ancient One who controlled fire. Smoulder and the others had backed away from Knuckles so Aeronniell could go over to him.

"How is he?" she asked quietly, crouching down beside him.  
"He is worsening, rapidly," Abyss the wolf reported. Aeronniell sighed in disappointment and looked down towards the ground.

"Take him back to your house, spend what time you have left with him," Rubble said gravely.  
"Rubble!" Aqua gasped, shocked at what he had said. Rubble said nothing. That's the thing with the earth beneath your feet, it's tough and it isn't very careful when dealing with delicate matters.

Still, those words had hit Aeronniell right in the heart. It felt like someone had ripped it out of her chest and squeezed it to a pulp. Don't think like that, she thought in protest. You WILL find the Fireflower and Knuckles WILL be alright.

Aeronniell silently scooped Knuckles up. He began to stir but he didn't wake up. His temperature had risen to an unbearable degree and yet he acted like he was cold. "He really has gotten worse, hasn't he?" Aeronniell sadly remarked. Aqua put her hand on Aeronniell's shoulder but said nothing. Aeronniell just moved out of Aqua's grip and quickly left..

Aeronniell met Sonic and Tails outside. "Wow, did Sonic actually do as he was told? You feeling alright?" Aeronniell joked. Sonic smirked, but it quickly faded when he realised Knuckles was shivering.

"Knuckles?" He whispered. Aeronniell looked down at Knuckles with concern.  
"Come on, we need to hurry before he gets cold," Aeronniell said miserably, as she suddenly hurried along.

Sonic couldn't help but notice at how upset Aeronniell was, she looked dizzy and sick from worry. It was causing her footing to be a little weak and clumsy. "Aeronniell, hold up. I'll get Knuckles," Sonic called. Aeronniell stopped and nodded, before carefully passing Knuckles to Sonic.

Sonic carried Knuckles back to Aeronniell's house. Knuckles's temperature had continued to rise, as did the shivering. "I don't get it, how can he be feeling cold if he's getting warmer and warmer?" Sonic muttered, almost in annoyance, as he put Knuckles onto the bed and pulled the blankets up to his chest.

"That's what the curse does Sonic, it makes them have un- treatable symptoms. Knuckles's body will turn against itself. Then it's up to his mind and spirit to keep him alive," Aeronniell explained.

"How do you know that?" Sonic asked.  
"Lilly..." Aeronniell muttered.  
"Huh?" Sonic and Tails said at the same time.

"Nothing, it's just that lots of people have been cursed," Aeronniell said quickly. Sonic wasn't so sure. "Come on, I'll make you guys something to eat," she offered, changing the subject.

Sonic, Tails and Aeronniell went into the living room, where Rouge was asleep but Shadow had also fallen asleep on the armchair. "Rouge, Rouge wake up," Aeronniell said, gently shaking her shoulder.  
"Huh, I'm up, I'm up," Rouge mumbled rubbing the sleep out her eyes.

"Do you want something to eat? " Aeronniell asked. Rouge shook her head. "You haven't eaten anything for two days, are you sure you don't want anything?" she persisted.  
Rouge thought for a moment. "Do you have any soup?" she asked with a groan. Aeronniell nodded quickly.

"Vegetable soup ok with everyone?" Aeronniell asked. Everyone said yes, except Shadow who was still asleep. Aeronniell guessed he had just came back from a mission and hadn't had much sleep, so she left him to rest for a while longer.

Aeronniell quickly began to prepare the vegetables in the kitchen, and she soon had the soup in six big bowls and was passing them to everyone. She also woke up Shadow and gave him his soup (something Sonic wouldn't even dream of) .

"Wow Aero, this is great," Sonic exclaimed quietly as he ate.  
"I'm glad you think so," she smiled.

Everyone ate in silence. No- one was particularly hungry, yet they still ate. Sonic tried to bring up a conversation. "So, does anyone actually know anything about the Fireflower?" he asked. Tails picked up his handheld and clicked a few buttons.  
"Even my handheld doesn't say much, only that it can heal everything. It mentions something about a hidden temple- " Tails said.

"Does it say what Temple?" Aeronniell asked. Tails shook his head and looked down.  
"Dang!" Aeronniell muttered, before sighing. "I'm gonna go and give this to Knuckles," she muttered, picking up the extra bowl of soup. Aeronniell was really losing her faith in the Fireflower. Aeronniell swiftly headed to the spare room, like a little wave on the shore..

**TAH DAH, sorry for the wait but I've been a busy bee. I've got a few days left of the holidays so I got this chapter out there for all to see. In theory, my next chapter is gonna be better than this.**

**A Big thank you to my BETA, ShinyShiny9.**

**I also want to thank Zgirl101 for the really nice review on Chapter 2. You have no idea at how excited I got at finding out you liked my OC XD**

**Please review and have a great day ^-^**


	5. Chapter 5 - Into Darkness

**Chapter 5 - Into Darkness**

**Yikes, when was the last time I updated? I'm so sorry I took so long. I hope you like my action in this chapter. This is where the story really gets rolling, so enough yapping. Enjoy the chapter :3**

Aeronniell had blown the candles out in the spare room, to help Knuckles rest. Like the entire village, Aeronniell's house had no electricity but it was warm and bright enough without it.

"Aero..." Knuckles croaked.  
"Easy, Knuckles, It's just me. You hungry?" Aeronniell whispered. Knuckles weakly nodded. Aeronniell sat Knuckles up and fed him the soup. "I know it probably tastes horrible, that's the curse. My cooking isn't that bad," Aeronniell smiled.  
Knuckles weakly smiled back but suddenly began to cough and wheeze. "Easy, Knuckles," Aeronniell soothed, sitting him up and rubbing his back. Once Knuckles calmed down he ate a little more soup. He didn't eat much, but it was something.

Aeronniell checked Knuckles's temperature. He was getting hotter so she took a cool damp cloth and began to gently wipe his forehead with it, hoping to break the fever. Knuckles just shivered. His cheeks were red and his eyes droopy.  
"You know, Knuckles, we think we know where the cure for the curse is, and we're gonna get it for you... I promise," Aeronniell said gently, trying to keep him awake.

"How touching," a dark voice laughed. Aeronniell turned around and saw... _Him_. A large black robe covered his entire body, but Aeronniell knew it was him. There was a such a cold and dark aura surrounding him that the candles had to fight to stay alight.

"Oblivion!" Aeronniell snarled, drawing her bow within a second. Oblivion calmly walked towards the plant in the corner and touched it. The plant withered and shrivelled into nothing. Aeronniell noticed that Knuckles was rapidly worsening because of Oblivion's presence. He was tense and gasping for breath, clutching onto the bed clothes beneath him as tightly as he could.  
"Guys!" Aeronniell suddenly yelled. Within a second, Tails, Sonic and Shadow were by Aeronniell's side.

"That's your protection? Come now, Aeronniell I thought you were the strongest Elemental known to the village, who survived out of the forest for four years! You disappoint me," Oblivion said mockingly. Shadow was about to Chaos Control but Aeronniell stuck her elbow out to gain his attention.

"Don't, he wants you to retaliate," Aeronniell said emotionlessly. Shadow hesitated, but stood his ground.  
"What do you want?" Aeronniell demanded coldly, her bow still drawn.  
"It gets lonely on my Island," he smirked.

"I said... why are you here!?" Aeronniell roared.  
Oblivion's stare hardened and became as firey and ferocious as an erupting volcano. He pointed to Knuckles with a deathly glare in his eyes. "He will NOT survive my curse!" he bellowed, the candles went out as his dark aura grew. "I simply came here to speed things along... I know you have discovered a cure and I will not allow you to find it." His voice had gradually reduced into a dark growling.

A twisted grin appeared on his lips. "Just imagine what it could do to my reputation."

"Tails, go look for the Ancient Ones," Aeronniell instructed emotionlessly. She was trying to mask her anger but her blue eyes revealed so much fury and hatred, it was scary. They were like the wildest storms and the most ferocious fires had been mixed up and placed there. Tails ran towards the door whilst Oblivion seemed to be hypnotized by Aeronniell's stare.

Oblivion quickly snapped out of his trance as he spotted Tails. He sent a huge wave of black energy towards Tails, in an attempt to stop him.  
"NO!" Sonic exclaimed, diving in front of Tails. The energy hit Sonic in the chest and he dropped to the floor. Tails didn't see what had happened and was already gone.  
"Love is even worse than Greed," Oblivion smirked.

"What did you do to him?!" Aeronniell demanded.  
"Time and tide wait for no man," Oblivion warned, ignoring Aeronniell's question and disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

"COWARD!" Aeronniell bellowed, firing her bow but it only hit the wall.

"Sonic?" Shadow muttered, crouching down beside him. Sonic suddenly lashed out at Shadow and sent him flying into the air. Shadow hit the ceiling and then dropped down to the floor.  
"Shadow!?" Aeronniell gasped.

Sonic began to transform into another creature. His fur went darker, his teeth doubled in size and sharpeed themselves until they were like daggers, even his hands grew bigger.  
"He's turning into a Werehog!" Aeronniell muttered, instinctively standing in front of Shadow. She sent a stream of water towards Sonic from the outside river. The water wrapped around Sonic, acting like ropes.

"A mindless Werehog. I think Oblivion has possessed him," Shadow added.  
"Shadow, you all right?" Aeronniell asked.  
"I'll be fine," he grunted in reply.

"Ugh, Oblivion is fighting against me. You're right about Sonic being possessed, alright. I just don't know how much longer I can hold this," Aeronniell strained.  
"Just hang on. Tails will be here soon."  
"Shadow, you need to get Knuckles and Rouge out of here," Aeronniell instructed. Shadow quickly got to his feet, went over to Knuckles and carried him into the living room and out the front door. Then Aeronniell heard the door open again.

"Rouge, come on!" Shadow demanded.  
"Gaah, this is _not_ the way a lady should be treated," Rouge complained a few seconds later. Aeronniell couldn't help but smirk when she saw that Shadow had thrown Rouge over his shoulder and was carrying her outside.

It took a while, but two of the Ancient Ones finally came. However, Tails did not. Aeronniell guessed he was outside with Knuckles and Rouge. "Aeronniell, what is going on?" Abyss demanded from the doorway.

"It's Oblivion," Aqua muttered, as she helped Aeronniell restrain Sonic with her water powers. Aeronniell was wearing down now... she didn't have much strength left. Aqua was deeply concerned about Aeronniell's well-being... Oblivion was getting stronger. She could feel how much energy Aeronniell was trying to contain by herself. Aqua tried to relieve Aeronniell of most of the pressure but Aeronniell couldn't. Aeronniell feared that if she did, she would collapse, so Aqua frustratingly had to just stand by. Abyss walked towards Sonic, who tried to lash out at him like a wild animal, caught in a poachers trap.

"Aeronniell, concentrate. Focus your mind on controlling the water," Aqua said calmly. Aeronniell closed her eyes and tried to do as advised.  
"Aqua, I can't do this!" Aeronniell exclaimed after a few seconds.  
"Yes, you can. Don't get angry with what has happened- just focus on fixing it," Aqua encouraged, her voice as steady as a stream, despite her fear for Aeronniell.

Abyss stood face to face with Sonic. Sonic growled and snarled but Abyss stayed completely calm. Abyss then put his hand on Sonic's forehead and closed his eyes. Sonic desperately tried to fight but Aeronniell managed to stop him.

Aqua looked at Aeronniell, her nose was bleeding and she looked like she was about to collapse.

"Abyss, hurry!" Aqua yelled, getting ready to take the heavy load from Aeronniell. A large ball of black energy encircled Abyss and Sonic as darkness fought darkness, creating a deafening hum. The energy quickly shrunk, before suddenly exploding. The blast caused everyone to fall over, except Sonic who rose into the air and said in a hollow voice:

_"Hidden beneath the home of the first and the last,_

_Five simple tests you must pass,_

_Wisdom, loyalty, love and skill,_

_Must be used to save the ill,"_

Sonic dropped to the ground unconscious, but he looked normal again. Abyss and Aqua had saved Sonic. Aeronniell slowly got to her feet and stumbled towards Sonic but collapsed after a few steps. Aqua managed to catch her in time. "Sonic," Aeronniell murmured before also falling unconscious...


	6. Chapter 6 - Revelations

**Chapter 6 - Revelations**

**Hi guys, just a quick note to say I have a poll on my profile regarding this story. If you could look at it I'd be really grateful.**

When Aeronniell woke up she was lying in her bed. It was a peaceful morning and the sun was shining brightly through her window. "Well, that was a dream and a half," she muttered, as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Her muscles were roaring in pain and begging for her to lie down and rest but Aeronniell denied them their request.  
"I doubt that was a dream, Aeronniell," someone said from beside her. It was Sonic, sitting on a little wooden stool beside her.

"Sonic, are you all right? When did you wake up?" she asked.  
"I've only been awake for an hour or so and I'm fine, Aero. How about you?" Sonic smiled.  
"I'll live. How... How long was I out for?"  
Sonic shrugged "Just overnight, nothing too bad."

Aeronniell forced herself to sit up. "Aero, you should take it easy. You've lost a lot of your strength," Sonic advised, putting his hand on her shoulder to stop her from tipping over.  
"All I've done for the last three days is take it easy," Aeronniell snapped weakly. "We can't waste any more time- Knuckles's life depends on it." Her voice broke at the end of her explanation.

"Aero, calm down already. We're doing all we can," Sonic said quite defensively, however he didn't raise his voice.  
"You're right, I'm sorry, Sonic. I just feel so useless. So many people have been cursed... and it's heartbreaking, watching them crumble into nothing... I'm scared... in case... In case Knuckles ends up the same way," Aeronniell managed. Sonic nodded, accepting the apology.

"Shadow's been checking on the Master Emerald for Knuckles and Tails told most of our friends what's been happening. They're looking everywhere for the Fireflower but they're trying to keep it quiet... If word gets out that Knuckles isn't on Angel Island, there'll be hell to pay," Sonic said softly.

"I'll thank Tails and Shadow when I next see them. Is Shadow ok? He took a um... nasty hit," Aeronniell said, a little grin appeared on her lips. Sonic went a bit red in the face.  
"He's fine, and I have apologised to him," Sonic smirked. Aeronniell shook her head in disbelief but smiled as she did so.

"Sonic.. Can you remember what you said yesterday? It was a sort of riddle or prophecy," Aeronniell asked a few minutes later.  
"Yeah, I've sorta memorised it without trying," Sonic answered awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.  
"Good, but now we need to figure out what it means," Aeronniell said.  
"Then let's get everyone together, six heads are better than one."

Aeronniell nodded, "You're right, time is of the essence and we can't waste a second of it..."

* * *

"Alright Sonic, let's try this again," Aeronniell said, about ten minutes later. Sonic had gathered everybody together in the sitting room. Knuckles was asleep on the sofa because no one dared take their eyes off him after yesterday's incident.  
"Hidden below the home of the first and the last," Sonic sighed, for the third time, lying on the back of the other sofa and staring at the ceiling. He was clearly bored, especially as they weren't making any progress.

"First and last," Aeronniell muttered pacing back and forth. "Knuckles is the last Echidna, but he's not the first of anything."

"Maybe it means the one and only," Rouge suggested from the sofa.  
"But the one and only what?" Sonic sighed.  
"Wait... No-one's ever actually found the Fireflower, right?" Tails asked.  
Everyone nodded.  
"So, maybe Knuckles will be the first to use it," he continued.

"Good idea... But then there's the next problem," Aeronniell said.  
"And what's that?" Shadow muttered from the armchair. His fingertips were on his forehead as he leaned against the arm of the chair. He looked a little tired, but when Aeronniell thought about it, she realised he hadn't stopped all day.

"If the prophecy does mean Knuckles, then how can the Fireflower be under his home?" Aeronniell asked.

"Knuckles lives on a floating island, it makes it easy to have something under it," Sonic remarked.  
"But all that's precisely under Angel Island is water. If it doesn't mean precisely under then we have the entire world to search!" Aeronniell insisted.

"No... There's ... There's an island," Knuckles murmured from the sofa. Everyone turned to look at him.  
"There is?" Rouge asked.  
Knuckles tried to sit up but he suddenly inhaled sharply and clutched his side.

"Knuckles?" Aeronniell asked, crouching down beside him.  
"I'm... fine," he croaked.  
"You're exhausted, you need to get some rest," Aeronniell insisted.  
"I said... I'm fine," Knuckles protested weakly.

Aeronniell shook her head and pulled the blankets up to chin, she could feel the heat on his skin without even touching him.  
"Get some rest," Aeronniell instructed gently.  
Knuckles reluctantly shuffled back down into the sofa and settled down to sleep.

"Well, we know where we need to go at least," Sonic remarked quietly.  
"Good, let's just hope that we're right. Knuckles is definitely getting worse," Aeronniell said sadly.  
"Don't worry, Aero... He'll be fine," Sonic smiled. It was a fake smile, but Aeronniell wasn't looking anyway. She seemed to be thinking of something else, distancing herself from the real world.

"I'm going to go out and look for the Fireflower," she finally said determinedly, standing up and walking towards the door.  
"It's too dark to do anything now, Aeronniell. Why don't you wait till the morning? That way everyone will be well- rested and we can have a look at a few maps or something," Tails suggested.

Aeronniel already had her hand on the door. She hesitated for a moment. "I'm going to the Stables," she muttered before silently leaving.

"I'll go talk to her," Shadow said.  
"She's stressed, give her a quick break," Sonic advised.  
"She's hiding something. Can you remember what happened the last time she kept a secret? I can tell something's bothering her and I'm going to find out why," Shadow argued, before using Chaos Control and disappearing.

Sonic sighed. "He has got a point, I guess."

* * *

Shadow reappeared a few steps in front of Aeronniell. "Shadow please, I just need to be alone," Aeronniell said, pushing past him and quickening her pace.  
"Aeronniell, what's wrong? You're trying to hide something, now what is it?" he asked.  
Aeronniell looked down. She clicked her fingers and moved her wrist in a circle, as if trying to find the right words. Instead she just sighed. "Fine, follow me," she muttered, throwing her hands in the air weakly.

Aeronniell and Shadow walked towards a small wooden stall in silence. The stall sold flowers and gardening equipment. Aeronniell asked for a large bunch of orange tiger lilies.

"How much do you want for them?" Aeronniell asked, reaching into her pocket. The purple hedgehog who wore a purple dress smiled, "Nothing, they're on me." She clearly understood why Aeronniell was buying them.  
"Thanks Heather," Aeronniell smiled. She turned to Shadow, still forcing a bright smile.  
'Let's go,' she said, her voice catching despite her best efforts. She was trying to keep a brave face, but she was struggling to hold it together.

Aeronniell took Shadow to the lake. "Aeronniell, why did you bring me here?" Shadow asked as he looked around.  
"That's why," Aeronniell sighed, pointing to a large stone. Shadow stared at the rock. It was a gravestone. "Who's Lilly?" Shadow asked gently.

"She was.. She IS my little sister and Oblivion killed her," Aeronniell managed.  
"I'm sorry. I - " Shadow gently began.  
"It's fine... Lilly was only seven when she died, that was three years ago."

"But... weren't you in exile then?"

Aeronniell nodded. "Lilly suffered when Karn and I had to leave, so she hung round with Stephenson a lot. Stephenson loved Lilly more than anything."  
"Stephenson... The big guy who took Tails with Conrad?" Shadow asked.  
"Yeah... One day they were at the lake, having a picnic and Oblivion attacked them. Lilly got cursed, she lasted five days and then... Then she died. Her grave is where she liked to sit with Stephenson," she explained, choking back a big lump that rose in her throat.

Shadow didn't really know what to say. "So that's why you're so determined to find the Fireflower," he said quietly.

Aeronniell nodded. "I've already lost one loved one, I can't lose any more," she explained, wiping a tear from her eye. Aeronniell's hands were trembling as she tried to put the lilies into the vase on the grave. Shadow gently put his hand on her shoulder to give her some reassurance.  
Shadow looked at how exhausted Aeronniell actually was, she looked so drained, both physically and emotionally.

Once the lilies were in the glass vase, Shadow Chaos Controlled away and reappeared seconds later with a white Cala Lilly. "May I?" he asked quietly.  
"Of course you can," Aeronniell smiled, choking back tears. Shadow dropped the flower onto the soil and looked at Aeronniell.  
"I know what it's like to lose someone special. You feel like nothing else matters and you... and you just... give up on everything," Shadow said, trying to comfort her.  
"I'd do anything to bring back Lilly... But it's too late," she wept, falling to her knees and bursting into tears.

Shadow sat down beside her and put his arm around her, allowing Aeronniell to cry on his shoulder.  
"Shh, it's ok," he whispered, resting his chin on Aeronniell's head. _I really need to leave Sonic to do these sort of things, _Shadow remarked to himself.  
"You don't know what it's like to lose your sister."

"Actually... I do."  
"Huh?"  
"Do you anything about the Space Colony Ark?" Shadow asked.  
Aeronniell nodded. "Bits and pieces," she admitted.

"Well... I was on that ship over fifty years ago. There was a young girl too... Maria... She was Dr Eggman's cousin. She was my best friend, we were so close we were like siblings... She was so sweet and kind to everyone. No- one could dislike her after they met her. She even taught me to be kind, selfless, fair... loving. I never could be as kind and selfless as she was... Anyway, the government decided to shut down 'Project Shadow'. They said it was dangerous, even though it was curing life threatening diseases. G.U.N. destroyed everything to do with the project and anyone who knew about it... Including Maria... She... She died protecting me. However they couldn't kill the Project... They couldn't kill me."

Aeronniell raised her eyebrows in hearing about Shadow. "She sounds just like Lilly... I'm sorry, I didn't-"  
"Hey, It's ok," Shadow gently hushed her whilst continuing to comfort her. He rubbed her back in an attempt to help her get her tears under control.  
"Why does it always happen to the nicest people?!" She sobbed.  
"I wish I knew, Aeronniell. I really wish I did..."

Shadow probably sat there with Aeronniell for ten minutes, gently rocking her back and forth, until he realised that she had fallen asleep. Her exhaustion had finally caught up with her. She breathed gently onto Shadow's chest. Now she was sleeping, Aeronniell seemed to be at ease. He wished that she could always look so peaceful. Shadow took his red Chaos Emerald and whispered "Chaos Control."

They ended up at Aeronniell's house. Sonic nearly dived over the sofa at the sudden appearance of the two. He was about to yell something but he saw Aeronniell, asleep in Shadow's arms. Her face was red and dirty from the tears.

"What happened?" Sonic whispered.

"I realised why Aeronniell is so determined to save Knuckles," he muttered, carrying Aeronniell to her bed. "And I swear I wont let anything happen to him." Shadow did not yell, although there was such force and strength in his voice he may as well of screamed from the rooftops.

_Why can't he just answer me?! _Sonic sighed, sitting back down on the sofa and watching Knuckles in apprehension until he dozed off again.


	7. Chapter 7 - Almost There

**Chapter 7 - Almost there**

**So, I am alive. I haven't been updating anything for a number of reasons, mainly because my motivation for Sonic stories perished. However, it's kinda back now so I'd best use it whilst it's here.**

Aeronniell was still asleep in her room, although she seemed to be in a troubled sleep. She was weaker than she had been letting on; Sonic decided he needed to know when she was hiding things. She was too keen on tucking it all away out of sight. Shadow had reluctantly explained what had happened last night and pointed out the picture of Lilly. Sonic couldn't help but stare at the picture of the little girl, he understood why Aeronniell was not being so optimistic and he too began to feel discouraged himself. He had barely slept all night, watching over Knuckles for Aeronniell. He wasn't a doctor but he knew the basics and made sure he kept hydrated. Since he was constantly covered in sweat as he fought the curse.

Tails came back from the kitchen with a damp cloth. He replaced the one on Knuckles' forehead. Knuckles grumbled a thanks. He was fighting so hard to stay awake but it was probably tiring him out quicker.  
"Tails, you coming to the library?" Sonic asked quietly.  
"Sure, but what for?" Tails replied.  
"I'm going to go and find a map or two, you could pick the Tornado up too, It will save us a lot of time," Sonic explained.  
"Good idea, let's go," Tails smiled.

It was about 11am when Sonic and Tails arrived at the library. The sun was peeking through the clouds but it was starting to get very windy. Sonic and Tails hurried inside the large white building and headed straight towards the maps. The library was completely empty and Tails found that awfully strange. He often came to the library and it was never this empty. What was going on?

"Sonic, do you have any idea why it's so empty in here? It's creeping me out."  
"I don't know, Tails. I guess the weather has put people off. Let's just hurry and get back. I don't like the idea of this either."

Tails nodded and wasted no time in finding two or three maps. He quickly found what he was looking for. "That Island is tiny, it's like three by three meters!" Tails exclaimed when he finally the tiny blob on the map.  
"Good, that means there's less ground to cover," Sonic remarked.  
"That's too easy. There has to be a trick to this! Why do I doubt that this will be a walk in the park?" Tails sighed.

"Because it won't," Shadow suddenly said from the doorway.  
"Hey, Shadow," Sonic smirked.  
"Aeronniell's awake, she asked me to come and look for you," Shadow explained bluntly. Sonic nodded. That was Shadow for you, straight to the point.

"How is she?" Sonic asked.  
"She's feeling better than before... I guess you guys are looking for the Island," Shadow said.  
"Yep, we've found it too," Tails beamed.  
"Then where is it?" Shadow asked impatiently.

"SONIC!" A voice suddenly squealed. Sonic turned to see a pink hedgehog sprinting towards him.  
"Oh boy," Shadow smirked.  
"Amy?!" Sonic exclaimed, as Amy threw her arms around him. Sonic realised something wasn't right. She always rugby tackled him into a hug, but this time she was trembling.  
"Amy, What is it? What's going on?" Sonic asked calmly.  
"It's.. It's Eggman, he's headed this way with a massive robot! He hasn't seen you for a few days so I guess he thought you weren't around. He's trying to take over and I can't beat that thing! " Amy panted.

"Where did you last see him?" Tails asked.  
"Green Hill Zone, but he'll be here any minute," Amy explained.  
"Are you alright?" Sonic asked. Amy nodded with a weak smile.  
"Let's go, guys," Sonic said, zooming off. The others quickly followed…

* * *

"Hey Egghead, What's the big idea?" Sonic exclaimed when he arrived at Green Hill Zone.  
"Sonic?! How did you get here so quickly?" Eggman asked without thinking. Sonic gave a single cough and give Eggman a look that read: _seriously.  
_"Oh, not a word!" Dr Eggman growled, when he realised what he had just said.  
Sonic just laughed. "So much for an IQ of 300," he remarked.

Dr Eggman was in his Egg Carrier, which seemed strange to Sonic, especially as he was leading an attack. Eggman clicked a few buttons on his seat and sent dozens of his strongest robots forward. They were fairly easy to beat but still enough to slow you down.

Sonic sighed and shook his head slightly, as if he was disappointed and sped towards the robots. Shadow was already deep in the fight and was cutting through the robots with ease. Sonic used his homing attack on the robots.

Eggman realised that Sonic was destroying his robots like they were dominoes. He quickly clicked a few more buttons. "You're not going to win that easily," Eggman laughed, as a large robot materialized from behind him. The Egg Carrier moved into the robot's head, giving Eggman full control of this deadly machine.

The robot was enormous! It had thousands of aerodynamic arms with bird - like feet ready to attack.

"The Hydra," Sonic growled. Sonic could feel his shoulder tingling as he remembered the pain.  
"Ho ho ho, getting cold feet eh, Sonic?" Eggman mocked."Sonic, you can do this without breaking a sweat. Just watch its arms," Tails encouraged from beside him.  
Tails wasn't there when Sonic first fought the robot but had been told the story of how Sonic got attacked by this monstrosity. Aeronniell no doubt saved his life that day. Sonic took a deep breath and sped forth. It was time to get even.

As Sonic approached the robot, the arms tried to grab him. Most of the arms hit the earth but one arm managed to graze his ankle.  
"That was a close one," he muttered. Sonic had already learned his lesson three months ago when the same robot had dislocated his shoulder, if it wasn't for Aeronniell it could have been worse. Sonic continued to weave through the arms until he was close enough to strike.

Sonic curled into a ball and threw himself at the robot, putting a big dent in the metal. Shadow and Amy were tearing through the little arms. "You actually got beat by this thing?" Shadow remarked.  
"What?!" Amy exclaimed, suddenly stopping fighting for a second before an arm dived at her, forcing her back into the fight.  
"Hey! You try having your arm pulled out of joint," Sonic protested. Shadow smirked and sent a Chaos Spear towards the robot.  
"I have," he called back in reply, far too casually for Sonic's liking.

"You mean Eggman hurt Sonic?!" Amy thundered. Sonic smirked, he knew what was going to happen next.  
"Yeah he did, He also captured Tails and Shadow and made one of our friends betray us," Sonic said casually.  
"THAT'S IT! EGGMAN YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU MESSED WITH MY FRIENDS!" She screamed, as she ran forth in a frenzy, obliterating the robot with her Piko -Piko hammer and making the robot look as feeble as a cola can.

Sonic used his homing attack to deliver the final blow. The robot toppled forwards and was about to crush Amy.

"Amy!" Sonic yelped. Sonic picked Amy up and ran off just in time.  
"Thanks, Sonic," Amy smiled.  
"Don't mention it," he winked in reply.

"Stupid hunk of junk! No matter, I will be back and you'll be sorry!" Eggman exclaimed, flying off in a heavily damaged Egg Carrier. Sonic shook his head shrugged his shoulders in amused disappointment.

He stopped next to Shadow and put Amy down. "I'm glad that _thing _is gone," Sonic remarked.  
"Is your shoulder ok? You haven't really fought anything since that attack," Tails asked.  
"It's ok, thanks," Sonic said, moving his shoulder in a few large circles to prove it.

"Guys, I gotta go help clean up. You coming?" Amy asked.  
"We can't," Sonic sighed.  
"Why not?" Amy asked, almost surprised by what Sonic had said.

Sonic looked around, no one was there. "Knuckles is really _really _sick, if we don't find the cure he'll die," he whispered.  
"Oh no!" Amy exclaimed, horror etched upon her face. She had known Knuckles a very long time, almost as long as Sonic. To hear that her friend was so ill broke her heart. "Is. Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, we need someone to keep an eye on the Master Emerald but other than that, there's not much. We need to find the cure as soon as possible but we've got a pretty good idea as to where it is. We think it's under Angel Island on a small patch of land. It would be a big help if Angel Island didn't fall on our heads," Sonic explained.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on it," Amy smiled.  
"Thanks, just make sure no one sees you and be careful." Amy nodded, before running off.  
"Be careful, Sonic and good luck," she smiled.

Sonic turned to Shadow and Tails. "I think we should get going," he said. They nodded and headed back towards Station Square...

**And another chapter down. I'm hoping to get all my stories don in the summer holidays, so hang on in there if you're one of the seemingly very few who give feedback. Thanks for the support and more would be appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Island

**Chapter 8 - The Island**

**I know, people will think I've ran away, but I haven't. I just got side tracked ^^' I want these stories done and dusted, especially. It probably wont happen, but you never know XD**

**Still, my sincerest apologies, but please enjoy :)**

"Take it easy, Knuckles. You're okay," Aeronniell soothed, rubbing his back. This was the third time Knuckles had been sick. The first time Aeronniell hadn't been quick enough to get a bucket and Knuckles had been sick on the floor, leaving a mess for her to clean up.  
"Sorry," he groaned as Aeronniell quickly cleaned up the mess with a mop.  
"Don't worry about it... Here, try to get a drink."

Aeronniell smiled at him weakly, crouching down beside him and held a cup up to his mouth. Knuckles took a small sip and began to fall asleep again. "That's it, get some rest," Aeronniell encouraged quietly, stroking his cheek in a calming way.  
Knuckles suddenly began to cough and choke and vomited again. Aeronniell sat him up and rubbed his back for a little while.  
"Easy.. Sshhh," she soothed. Aeronniell could see how much pain he was in, in fact, he was close to tears. Aeronniell looked at him and rubbed his arm.

"Hey, come on. You can do this," she whispered encouragingly. Knuckles just clamped his eyes shut and looked down, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Aeronniell lifted his chin up and held his head in her hands. "Oh, Knuckles. I can't even imagine how much pain you're in but you have to hold on. In a few hours you'll be back to your old self," Aeronniell smiled gently, trying to keep the mask of confidence and fearlessness fixed firmly upon her face.

However, as she looked Knuckles in the eyes, the mask continued to slip away. The glittering purple amethysts in his eyes were gone. The loyalty, strength, and resilience were all slipping away, leaving only a dark shell. It was killing Aeronniell as much as it was Knuckles to see him in such a way. He was just... fading...

Aeronniell forced the lump in her throat back down, helped Knuckles get a drink and then helped him lie down again. She noticed that Knuckles was holding his right hand tightly, so she carefully took his ripped glove off, to see what was wrong. Aeronniell's eyes widened as she saw that the palm of his hand was turning black. The colour covered most of his palm and was spreading rapidly.

"It... hurts," Knuckles groaned. Aeronniell looked at Knuckles, then at his hand. How had she not seen this before?!  
"Let me see," she asked quietly. Knuckles weakly pulled his hand towards him.  
"Please. I promise I won't touch it," Aeronniell pleaded.

Reluctantly, Knuckles allowed Aeronniell to examine his hand. He was trembling and his hand was freezing cold. It sent a chill down Aeronniell's spine. "Just like Lilly," Aeronniell muttered.

Aeronniell was close to tears when Sonic finally arrived. Aeronniell quickly wiped her eyes and turned to face them. "Hey, guys," she choked, gently putting Knuckles's hand on his chest and leaving him to rest.

"Hey, Aero." Sonic smiled sympathetically. He knew that this was getting harder and harder for her to cope with. "We now know where the Fireflower should be and Tails has the Tornado outside," he explained gently. Aeronniell nodded but Sonic hadn't expected her to say much. She desperately needed to get some more rest.

"You ok? You look like you've been fighting," she asked.  
"Yeah... You remember the Hydra? I may have bumped into it on the way."  
"I'm guessing it's been flattened?"  
Sonic was surprised by her attempt to lighten the mood. "Oh yeah, that thing is on its way to the scrapyard. I think my friend Amy caused more damage to it than me," he smiled.

Sonic looked around, and a flash of confusion fell upon his face. "Um, Aero, where's Rouge?" Sonic asked.  
"She went to have a shower, I'll go get her. You guys should get ready, we have to leave now." Aeronniell said, standing up off the floor and walking into the passage and knocking on the bathroom door.  
"Rouge, it's time to go. You coming?"  
"Just a second," Rouge exclaimed.

Aeronniell walked back into the sitting room and sat down on the arm of the chair, beside Knuckles. A few seconds later, Rouge opened the door and quickly walked into the sitting room.  
Sonic couldn't help but look at Knuckles. He was running out of time.  
"Hang in there, Knuckles. It won't be long now," Sonic muttered.

Knuckles suddenly clutched his hand whilst curling into a ball because of the pain. Sonic leapt from the seat and stepped towards him. Aeronniell also moved towards Knuckles but she crouched down beside him.  
"Come on, Knuckles. You're okay, just hold on," Aeronniell whispered in an attempt to comfort him.

"What's happening to him?!" Rouge exclaimed as Knuckles's hand and wrist turned black.

"Sonic, we have to go. He only has an hour or so left, if that!" Aeronniell exclaimed. "We're losing him," she choked.  
Sonic nodded, stepped forth, carefully picked Knuckles up and carried him outside. The others quickly followed.  
"Sonic, Shadow and Aero, you'll have to get on the wings. Will you be ok up there?" Tails asked, from the pilot's seat. Tails had been rushing around getting last minute supplies. They didn't know what to expect and Tails knew he couldn't just fly back and get something they had forgotten.  
"We'll be fine. I've been able to hang on when Sonic was driving, so this should be easy," Aeronniell smiled weakly.  
"Hey," Sonic protested whilst forcing a smile.

Aeronniell was trying to lighten the mood, Sonic could tell but he could also tell that seeing Knuckles like this was killing her inside. Shadow had very briefly explained why Aeronniell was taking this so hard, and Sonic felt guilty and sorry for her.

Sonic imagined Tails taking Lilly's place; that alone would have driven him crazy. The two were like brothers and if he had lost Tails and risked losing Knuckles it would tear him apart. But that was how Aeronniell felt, and Sonic realised how brave she was being. If only I could tell her that everything was going to be alright, Sonic thought. But we don't know what is going to happen. I guess I'll just have to try and make things easier for them, but how?

"Rouge will you be ok to fly?" Tails asked, bringing Sonic out of his trance- like state.  
"Ol' Rouge is back in town, thanks to Aeronniell," Rouge winked. Aeronniell gently smiled.  
"Glad I could help. Now, we really need to get going."

Sonic carefully put Knuckles in the passenger's seat and tried to rest his head against the side, but Knuckles didn't have the strength to stay sat up straight and he just fell forwards. Aeronniell noticed this almost instantly.

"Tighten his seat belt a little and put a cushion under his head, it should keep him comfortable," Aeronniell instructed gently. Sonic did as he was asked and it worked, to an extent, Knuckles's head still fell forwards a little but not as much.  
"I'll hold his head," she muttered.

"Aeronniell, wait!" a voice called. Aeronniell turned to see Aqua running towards her with a strange piece of relic in her hand.  
"You'll need this," she said, handing the relic to Aeronniell.  
"Thanks, Aqua... I'm sorry about before too," Aeronniell said, looking down in shame.  
"Don't worry about it, besides, I'm the one who should apologise," Aqua said.  
"Uuhh, I hate to be rude, but we really need to be going," Sonic interrupted.

"Sonic is right, you should go. Good luck," Karn suddenly said, walking over to the group.  
"How does he do that?" Sonic muttered.  
Aeronniell smiled, climbed onto the plane wing and crouched behind Knuckles. Sonic and Shadow then also climbed aboard. Aqua and Karn stepped back as the plane shuddered into life.

"Oh and Aeronniell, Wisdom is knowing when to turn back!" Aqua called as the plane moved along the ground. Aeronniell nodded and waved.

"I wonder what Aqua meant by that," Aeronniell said to herself.  
"Aero... Aero!" Knuckles yelped as he threw himself forwards, luckily his seat belt stopped him from headbutting Tails's seat.  
"It's alright, Knuckles, I'm here" Aeronniell said softly, rubbing his arm.  
"I thought... You'd left me," Knuckles choked.  
"Come here," Aeronniell sighed, putting her arm around him and pulling him closer to her as he trembled. "Ssshhhh, I'm right here, Knuckles. I've never left you and I never will...I promise," Aeronniell whispered to him as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Knuckles managed to rest his head on Aeronniell and drift off into an unsettled sleep. He was shivering and muttering her name, so Aeronniell put her cloak over him.  
"Ssshh," Aeronniell soothed.

As Sonic looked at Aeronniell, something seemed to finally click into place. She loved Knuckles and he loved her. Sonic smiled and looked at Shadow. He too, seemed to realise how Aeronniell felt.  
Rouge was flying beside Aeronniell. It's about time she thought to herself as a small smirk escaped her lips.

"How long will it take to get to the island?" Rouge asked, turning her attention back to Tails.  
"It should only take a few minutes," Tails replied.  
"Just go as quickly as possible," Aeronniell said, wiping escaping tears off Knuckles's face with her thumb.

"There's Angel Island, so the island is just underneath," said Sonic, pointing ahead. Sonic could just make out a tiny pink and red dot on Angel Island, that was Amy.

"Quick question: How do we land a plane on three meters of land?!" Shadow asked.  
"Don't worry, I'll land the plane in the water. Then I've just got to line the plane up with the island," Tails explained.

Knuckles began to scream again as the dark curse slithered up to his elbow. "Knuckles, hold on! Please, just a few more minutes," Aeronniell wept. "Don't give up," she quietly repeated over and over again.

"Aero, can you not prevent it spreading?" Rouge asked.  
Aeronniell shook her head and tried to get Knuckles to relax again.  
"No, I tried before and it's even stronger now. If it keeps spreading this quickly he might only have half an hour left!" she explained.

Knuckles was exhausted, flustered and upset, his breathing had increased and tears were escaping the corners of his eyes. As well as this, his entire body had stiffened up and he was so tense. "Try to relax a little, Knuckles," Aeronniell advised gently, pulling the cloak up to his chin.

"Hold on, guys. It's time to land," Tails announced. Everyone seemed relieved at the news and looked out at their destination.

"Then let's do this," Aeronniell said determinedly...


	9. Chapter 9 - The Tests Begin

**Chapter 9 - The Tests Begin**

**I think I deserve a high five for how fast I'm FINALLY getting this updated. This is over a year old, so I think It's about time I wrap this one up and make a start of my other stories after this ^^'**

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Sonic smirked, leaping off the plane and helping Aeronniell down.  
"Thanks," she murmured. Sonic smiled weakly in reply.  
Shadow lifted Knuckles out of the passenger seat and carefully passed him to Sonic, who laid Knuckles on the ground. There was nothing on this island but a big rectangular hole that could be accessed by an old stairway.

Tails picked up a small brown cross- body bag by his feet and slid down the plane, landing neatly on the ground.  
"Everyone ready?" he asked.  
"Yep, let's go," Sonic replied.

Aeronniell went down the steps first. "These steps must be thousands of years old, they're crumbling under my feet a little so watch your- stteeeppp!" Aeronniell exclaimed, falling down the stairs and landing with a thud.  
"Aero, you ok!?" Sonic exclaimed, but there was no reply.

"Aero?!" Sonic called, jogging over to the stairwell and looking down. He could see her rubbing her head as she sat on the floor.  
"I'm ok, but you guys did NOT see that."  
Sonic chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't see what?" he smirked.  
"EXACTLY," she replied.

"Come on, let's go," Shadow said, carefully going down the stairway.

Downstairs was pitch black, so Tails rummaged around in his bag to reveal three flashlights. He switched them on and handed them to Shadow, Aeronniell and offered Rouge one.  
"No thanks, cutie. I'm in my element here," she smirked, so Tails kept the flashlight for himself.  
Sonic was carrying Knuckles. He stayed beside Aeronniell, so that he could see ahead of him.

"It's a tunnel," Sonic muttered, seemingly surprised.  
"Well, I guess we go forwards," Rouge remarked.

The group walked for some time. Occasionally Rouge would let out a shriek that was her echo-location. It enabled her to see deeper into the tunnel than the flashlights would allow. There was a faint dripping noise, and the smell of algae and damp was overpowering.  
"We must be walking under the ocean. I think we should hurry it up," Sonic advised. He was wary of being in an ancient tunnel, which could easily collapse and wash the group away.

"We're almost there, I think. There's a dead end coming up," Rouge explained.  
"Good, cos the big guy sure is heavy after a while," Sonic muttered, adjusting how Knuckles was lying.  
Shadow sighed a frustrated sigh. "Give him here, I'll carry him the rest of the way."

Sonic carefully put Knuckles into Shadow's arms, just in time for the curse to spread. Knuckles tensed up and almost threw himself out of Shadow's grasp.  
Thinking fast, Shadow crouched down so that if Knuckles did fall, it wouldn't be as far.  
"Hang on, Knuckles, almost there," Shadow muttered as he fought to keep hold of Knuckles. After a few painful seconds, Knuckles returned to his ever- weakening state and the curse spread to his shoulder.  
"If the curse reaches his heart, he won't last," Aeronniell said miserably.  
"Then we'll just have to be faster," Shadow said determinedly, standing up and marching on.

After a few seconds, a temple stood in front of the group. Celtic patterns were carved into the stone walls, which were illuminated with burning torches. Old vines scrambled up the walls with the hope of reaching the little sunlight that burst through the crumbling ceiling. The air was damp and dusty but an occasional draft freshened the air a little.

"Woah, what is this place?" Sonic asked, his mouth agape.  
"This is the Temple of the Fireflower," a voice suddenly said. A purple dragon and a golden lion appeared from the doorway.  
"You have long wished to gaze upon this temple haven't you, Aeronniell Bluewaters," the lion said. His soft mane wrapped around his neck elegantly and his deep brown eyes were striking and strong, yet gentle.  
"I ... I have long wished for hope, if that's what you mean," Aeronniell managed, surprised by what they knew.

"Who are you? " Sonic asked.  
"I am Diana, and this is Carlos," the dragon smiled warmly.  
"We are the guardians of the Fireflower," Carlos added.

"Place your friend here and we will begin," Diana said before an uncomfortable silence could occur.  
Aeronniell looked at Shadow and nodded. Shadow walked forth and placed Knuckles on a large stone slab. Knuckles's breathing suddenly seemed more relaxed and natural.  
Diana's eyes began to glow blue, as did the large red gem that was on her forehead. Carlos's eyes began to glow silver.  
"You're friend has much to live for, as a guardian he has a great duty... And as a friend he is fiercely loyal," Diana explained softly.  
"He has not sinned, nor does he have any intention of doing so. In fact his intentions are right and true... He is worthy," Carlos announced.

"Great, so... Uhh what now?" Sonic asked.  
"Do you have the key?" Diana replied. Aeronniell revealed the old piece of stone. It was shaped like a tiger lily with ancient inscriptions carved into the sides.  
"Is this it?" she asked.

Carlos nodded. "Good, now which two are going to take the tests?"  
_Love, Wisdom, Loyalty and Skill,_ Aeronniell thought to herself.  
"Shadow, you should be one of them," Aeronniell said.  
Shadow shrugged "Fine by me... But I think you should too."  
Sonic and Tails nodded. "Alright then, I'll do it," Aeronniell smiled awkwardly.

"Alright then, place the key in the wall to begin. There are five more tests that you must pass. If you pass the tests, you will receive part of the Fire flower, which can save your friend," Diana explained.  
Aeronniell and Shadow walked up to the closed door. Shakily, Aeronniell put the key into place and the door slid open. "It's now or never," she muttered, stepping inside. Shadow turned to face the group and nodded, before following Aeronniell inside...

**I know this was called the tests begin, that's technically because this was a test ^^' I'll be honest, I had a panic attack when no one viewed this for about 2 weeks, so thanks for the 13 views. 2 reviews makes up for that, so thanks mystery reviewer. XD**

**More to come (hopefully soon :))**


	10. Chapter 10 - Sacrifice

**Chapter 10 – Sacrifice**

**Sorry about the wait, this one needed a little TLC ^^' A big thank you to my BETA for her super help. You're a lifesaver Shiny! :)**

"So, what do you know about this Fireflower?" Shadow asked to fill the silence.  
"How much do you know about Greek mythology?" Aeronniell asked.  
Shadow shrugged. "Not much."

"Well, in the Greek legends, there's a river that passes through Tartarus known as the Phlegethon or the river of fire. It was used to heal the, uh... 'Residents' of Tartarus so that they could be punished over and over again. The water, or fire rather, from the river fed and watered a normal lily until it became the Fireflower with the ability to heal," Aeronniell explained.

"Fascinating. When did you figure this out?"  
"Did you guys think that you are the only ones with a library? Aqua went to do some extra research for me whilst you three were out fighting."

She paused abruptly. "I think we're at the first test. Look," she said after a while, pointing to a large rectangular slab of rock up ahead.

There was a large gap in the center of the slab, it looked like a window to the abyss. Aeronniell couldn't help but strain her eyes, searching for a pair of yellow eyes or an enormous clawed hand. Forcing her wild imagination to the back of her mind, she shuddered and looked away from the slab.

Shadow walked up to the rock and blew the thick layer of dust away from it, revealing the inscriptions beneath. "Hieroglyphics? I can't read these!" Shadow grumbled in frustration. Suddenly, slowly, the inscriptions began to glow a pale red. Shadow stared in amazement as the unrecognisable symbols fizzled away, leaving standard english behind.

"That's... weird!" Shadow exclaimed.  
"What is?" Aeronniell asked.  
"Didn't you see? The writing just... changed, it sort of dissolved," Shadow explained, still surprised. "That's... pretty clever."  
"Woah, if there was hieroglyphics then it looks like we are the only ones who have gotten this far for a long time... So, what do we have to do?" Aeronniell asked.

Shadow quickly read the instructions and snorted. "Oh, great. Apparently one of us has to put our hand in the hole as a sacrifice," he throwing his arms up in the air.  
"You mean like chopped off?!" Aeronniell exclaimed.  
Shadow nodded grimly. "That's what it says."

A silence began to creep forwards towards the two. "All right then, let's get this over with. I'll do it," Shadow announced.  
"No, Shadow you can't-" Aeronniell beseeched.  
"I can and I will, Aero. Besides, you can't heal yourself but you could heal me. It's the best way. It's no good one of us dying before we get to this damned Fireflower," Shadow interrupted.

Aeronniell stood in silence for a moment. She knew that there was no arguing with Shadow when he planned to do something, but that didn't relieve her conscience of letting him do this for her.  
"All right then," Aeronniell muttered, lowering her head. "But I'll do it, if you don't want to," she added, a little louder.

Shadow ignored her comment and went down on one knee in front of the stone slab. He stared at the hole in the stone, it looked like a great black gem had been embedded into it. Looking at his hand whilst it was still attached to his arm for the last time, Shadow eventually closed his eyes. Slowly, his shaking hand inched its way into the foreboding gap in the rock. Cobwebs brushed past his fingers, sticky and cold. His entire hand was inside the crack, but there was no sign of an end to the tunnel.

"This is insane," Shadow muttered turning his head away from the slab, battling his way through the thick cobwebs, his hand finally met something firm. He jolted away from it as he built himself up with fear and dread. Biting his bottom lip, Shadow hesitated for a moment more. Raising his hand to the void-like gap, grinding his teeth together in agitation, he threw his hand inside. In one swift moment, his hand seized the lever in a death grip and pulled.

An almighty scrape of metal on rock was heard. There was a slamming noise; Aeronniell clamped her eyes shut as she expected to hear a heart-tearing scream… Yet nothing came, instead the only noise was the great stone door sliding out of the way.

"S..Shadow?" Aeronniell asked, her voice overflowing with fear. She dared herself to open one eye.  
"I'm... Fine," Shadow managed. He seemed to be in a state of disbelief and complete shock.  
He slowly pulled his arm out of the rock and seemed even more surprised when his hand was still there.

"It was a trick. It was to see if we were willing to do it," Shadow managed. The longer he looked at his hand, the more relieved he became as he allowed his initial anger to seep away.  
Aeronniell also began to allow herself to settle down, trying to ease her pounding heart.

"Are you complaining?" Aeronniell smirked feebly , masking her anxiousness with humor.  
"No," Shadow said quickly, in reply to her half-hearted remark. "Come on, Let's get going. We don't have all day," he added.

As he headed towards the next room, Aeronniell noticed that he kept clenching his fist, as if to check that it was still there.  
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked warmly.  
"I'm fine.. Just startled, I guess," Shadow admitted. "It's not every day I'm willing to give up a hand."

Aeronniell nodded and walked beside him. This was only the first test, and Shadow is on edge... We're doomed, she thought to herself, as her hands wandered towards her necklace to seek comfort.  
Shadow looked at Aeronniell as if reading her thoughts. "We'll be fine, they're probably just trying to get us to back down."  
Aeronniell shrugged "Well they're doing a good job," she muttered. A smile of amusement escaped Shadow's lips.

Both hedgehogs suddenly froze into place as they saw what awaited them in the next room.

Shadow managed to speak first. "That's... IMPOSSIBLE!..."

**So, that's test one. Four to go. Let me know what you think :)**


	11. Chapter 11 - What has been Lost

**Chapter 11 - What has been lost**

**I am officially giving all readers of this story permission to get in line and slap me for taking so long. You know not to trust my deadlines, but I need all four stories (including the revamp of Lost in the Flames) to be done by January. After that, there'll be no more writing until June/July.**

**I don't know which story will end up being published. I might make a start of a different fandom for a while, but once I start ppublishing, it means the entire story has been written and edited, so that I can stick to my weekly deadline.**

**Thank you to all of those who have stayed with me so far. It's great support and means a lot :)**

"What's taking them so long?" Sonic exclaimed, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.  
"Give them a chance, hon. They're not as fast as you, y'know," Rouge said.  
"I know, I know. But sitting here and just waiting is a pain," Sonic moaned in reply.

Just then, Knuckles began to stir. "Aero..."  
"Take it easy, Knuckles. She won't be long," Sonic said gently.  
"W.. Where... Is... She?" Knuckles managed, his breathing ragged and laboured.  
"She's gone with Shadow to get you the cure," Sonic explained, sitting on the edge of the stone slab beside him.

"The... Em... Emerald," Knuckles groaned.  
"The Emerald is fine, Knuckles. Amy's keeping an eye on it for you and I haven't touched it," Rouge smiled.  
Knuckles smirked, but it was quickly cut off by a wave of pain.  
"Get some rest, buddy. It won't be long now," Sonic smiled weakly.  
Knuckles managed to nod and then went to sleep.

Sonic turned his attention to Tails. He was facing away from Knuckles and had been for a while.  
"You ok, buddy?" he asked.  
Tails jumped a little in surprise but he nodded and quickly returned to his own little world.  
Sonic sighed and slowly walked over to him.

"Tails?" Sonic persisted gently.  
"I'll be ok, Sonic. I guess... I'm just... nervous," Tails admitted.  
"It'll be alright. You know it will," Sonic smiled weakly, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Tails, turned around suddenly wrapped his arms around Sonic's waist as he burst into tears.  
"Sonic, I'm scared! I've been trying to be brave but I just can't," he sobbed. His emotions had finally burst though.  
_Tails is right, he really has tried to be tough these last few days, _Sonic thought to himself. Sonic sometimes forgot that Tails was only 8 years old. He was practically half Sonic's age. Even though he was so mature, it didn't

"Come on, big guy. You've been brilliant these last few days. I'm really proud of you. Aeronniell and Shadow can do this, no problem. We've just gotta give them a little more time," Sonic smiled in an attempt to comfort him, crouching down to Tails's eye level.  
"B..but what if it doesn't go right?" Tails choked. Sonic gently pulled Tails into another hug.  
"It will," he whispered into his ear. Tails buried his face into Sonic's chest and tried to gain control of his tears.

Sonic looked at Rouge. She seemed surprised by what had unfolded in front of her but managed to give Sonic a nod. Sonic nodded back with a weak smile.  
Sonic closed his eyes and continued to comfort Tails with his hug.

_I hope... _He thought to himself...

* * *

"MARIA?!" Shadow exclaimed, stumbling backwards in shock. Aeronniell also fell backwards as the little girl had materialised out of nowhere. She watched as she struggled to retain her visibility. It was Maria alright, but the sight killed Shadow on the inside... She was a ghost.

"Shadow, please help me. You can bring me back to life. I want to see what Mobius is like. All you have to do is give me a drop of your blood," the spirit begged in a sweet voice. A look of what seemed to be pure delight flashed across Shadow's face, but it quickly faded.

"That means I can't save Knuckles if I do, doesn't it?"  
The spirit nodded with a blank face. She had beautiful short blond hair with stunning blue eyes, which matched the blue dress she wore. At times, you could hardly see her as she swayed in a breeze. The firelight shining half reflecting off her face and half passing through. It made her face look cruel and dark.

"Maria, I... I don't... Knuckles is," Shadow stammered, unable to form a sentence.  
"Shadow, don't listen to her. Remember, these are tests. She isn't really there," Aeronniell explained calmly, shaking his shoulder to try and get him out of his trance.  
"But, Aeronniell, what about me?" an even softer voice squeaked.

Aeronniell turned around to see a hedgehog similar to her, only a little more lilac. She wore a little gray dress and had beautiful green eyes.  
"Lilly," Aeronniell breathed.  
"Aero, please. I wanna see Stephenson and mama again!" the spirit begged, wearing her little grey dress.

"N..no. No this can't be right. Lilly, even if this is your spirit, I have to save Knuckles... If there's a way to save you I will but I can't. Not yet," Aeronniell explained, fighting back tears.  
"YOU NEVER HAD TIME FOR ME!" the spirit of Lilly screamed. "YOU WERE WILLING TO CUT OFF YOUR HAND FOR THAT STUPID ECHIDNA! But you won't give a drop of blood for me!"  
Aeronniell tried to snap out of her trance like state. Lilly wouldn't say something like that, would she?

"Shadow, please. I want to be able to see what the ocean looks like. I want to be able to touch the grass and know what wind is," Maria continued to beg.  
Aeronniell and Shadow had instinctively stood back to back but the two spirits' pleas were agony to their ears.  
Over and over the spirits begged to be revived.  
Aeronniell eventually crumpled to the floor, covering her ears and screaming so that she couldn't hear the spirit's demands.  
"Aero?!" Shadow managed.

* * *

Sonic heard a scream, a petrified scream. He knew exactly who it belonged to.  
"Aero! Alright, that's it. I'm going in!" Sonic announced as soon as he heard the screams from inside the temple. The door had locked after the two went in; it was impossible to enter the Temple.

"Is he allowed to do that?" Rouge asked.  
"No, Their wishes are strong. It will be hard for them to resist but you must not get involved in the test," Diana explained.  
"What do you mean 'resist'? What are they doing?" Sonic asked, drawing to a halt.  
"They have to resist their greatest wish. If they cannot, your friend will fall," Carlos said.  
"That's evil! What's going on in there?!" Sonic exclaimed.

A large amount of dust began to gather together, creating a mirror showing what was happening inside.

All Sonic could hear was screaming and arguing, but it wasn't just Shadow and Aeronniell. Other voices could be heard. He finally saw Aeronniell curled up on the floor, shouting, whimpering and mumbling to herself as a kind of ghost moved around her in circles. Shadow was stepping away from a spirit that Sonic recognised as Maria.  
He knew Maria was Dr Eggman's cousin. She had died upon the Ark when G.U.N had tried to destroy all evidence of 'Project Shadow'. The only thing that remained of the project was Shadow the Hedgehog. The Ultimate Lifeform.

This isn't right. What they're asking for- what they have to resist... That's not right!

* * *

"Please, Aeronniell. Take my hand and you can save me. You won't have to feel guilty over me anymore. Just take my hand...please," Lilly begged, tears filling in her eyes.  
Aeronniell suddenly stopped screaming and yelling and looked up. Her eyes were wide, like she had been hypnotised.  
"You're right, Lilly. I should have helped you a..and I tried," she murmured, slowly reaching out for Lilly's outstretched hand.

"AERONNIELL, STOP!" Shadow bellowed over the noise. He fell against the wall and covered his ears. The spirit of Maria just floated towards him and continued to beg. Aeronniell was no longer speaking to herself in an attempt to snap herself out of it, but staring at the spirit of Lilly. She seemed to be in a trance of some sort.

Shadow ran forth and went through Maria. He stood between Aeronniell and Lilly. Could Lilly just pass through him as he had passed through Maria?  
"No! I have to help Lilly. I have a chance to save her," Aeronniell exclaimed, try to move Shadow out of the way.

"Aeronniell, take her hand and Knuckles will die," Shadow explained. "Would Lilly really want you to lose him? You said it yourself, this is a test, you have to say no."  
An entranced Aeronniell took advantage of Shadow turning away to see where Maria was, and shoved him away with all of her strength. Shadow fell against the wall. Maria was instantly at his side begging for life.

"Maria, I said no!" Shadow yelled. It was killing him to have to yell at her. A crystal altar suddenly materialised in the center of the room. Somehow, Shadow knew that to end this they had to touch the altar. He didn't know how he knew... He just did. Staggering towards it, he felt like a weight was tied to his heart.  
"Forgive me," he whispered, watching Marias spirit blend into the air and fade away with an unearthly scream.

"Aeronniell, listen to me. Knuckles will die if you do this, this isn't Lilly. Please don't do this!" Shadow begged. "Touch the altar!"  
"I have to, Shadow. I had to watch her die and I did nothing. I can save her. I. can make this right," Aeronniell protested.  
"That's exactly right!" Lilly snapped. "Now, take my hand!"  
"Aeronniell, Would Lilly act like this? Would Lilly demand that you kill him? Aeronniell you love him! Would Lilly want you to feel the same way as Stephenson feels?" Shadow questioned, calling upon everything Aeronniell had told him.

A silence had filled the room for what felt like hours. Stephenson had suffered so much. Aeronniell couldn't take that amount of suffering, neither could Knuckles's friends. Aeronniell slowly looked at Lilly. "Shadow's right. I did try to save you, and I should have tried harder...I've got a chance to set things right... But I can't let Knuckles die."  
"What?!" Lilly demanded.  
"I'm so sorry, Lilly." Aeronniell reached out for the altar and let her hand fall onto the crystal.  
The spirit of Lilly screamed in anger as she dissolved into mist.

Aeronniell slowly got to her feet. She was trembling and tears were falling down her cheeks.  
"I'm sorry," she choked.  
"Don't be," a gentle voice said.

"Lilly, I've already said no. Please don't make this any harder," Aeronniell demanded weakly, turning around to see her little sister's spirit once more.  
"What? Oh, no I'm not here for that. That was a pretend me," Lilly giggled, covering her mouth to hide that beautiful smile. It killed Aeronniell to be unable to see it.  
"Oh," Aeronniell said glumly, still keeping her barriers up.

"Aeronniell, please don't be upset about what happened. I was never mad at you. You're the best sister ever and I'm super excited for you," she smiled.  
Aeronniell looked up and swallowed hard.  
"You are?" she asked weakly.  
Lilly nodded with a grin.

"Lilly, I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?!"  
"There's nothing to be sorry about. But if you see that big bully again who got me, ask Karn to beat him up for me."  
Aeronniell smiled and choked back a sob. "I will, I promise... We'll both get him."

Lilly smiled and giggled as she disappeared. It felt like she took part of Aeronniell with her. Nothing had ever drained Aeronniell as much as that had. Not even restraining Sonic when he was possessed by Oblivion.  
Aeronniell inhaled deeply and turned to see Maria shifting away from Shadow, slowly dispersing.

And just like that the room was filled with a dreadful silence, as the two reflected on the last few minutes.  
"We should go," Shadow said, unsure of what to say. "Are you alright?"  
"I don't know, but either way, we have to move. Come on."

Aeronniell pushed past the surprisingly relieving heartache and headed towards the next room...

**So, 2/5 tests done. This is about as intense as it will get, so if anyone struggled with this chapter, it's not so bad after this. Fear not. I have one more week of trial exams, then three more weeks at school, then it's happy holidays XD This is where I go on a writing mission. If I start taking to long, just start annoying me on PM. Sometimes I just completely forget about my stories ^^'**

**Please review and let me know how I'm doing, it makes me happy XD**


End file.
